Healer
by BooksAndCats26
Summary: Being an apprentice healer is a full time job for Ingrid Erikson between the dragon raids and her fellow teens learning how to slay said dragons. Will she be able to keep up with the absurdity of the village? Read on and find out. Rated T for descriptions of injuries in later chapters. Bad summery, forgive me.
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to my story, unwary traveler! This is my first solo story here, so be gentle, but feel free to leave comments and constructive criticism. All I ask is for you not to demand updates as I have a life and will only update if I have the time and inclination to do so. Well, enough talking and on with the story!_

**A Night Like Any Other**

Most villages have been plagued by pests since the dawn of mankind; some deal with wolves,some deal with rats, and some deal with lions that come from the mountains to steal livestock.

My village, unfortunately, has to deal with a far deadlier pest than most other villages:

Dragons.

Now, why we didn't just pack up the village and leave at the first sight of a winged furnace is beyond me. Our ancestors must have been insanely stubborn as most Vikings are known to be, but now their stubbornness leads to me being dragged out of bed hundreds of years later by my mentor, Gothi, the mute town healer.

The day I was born, Gothi read my runes as she tended to do with most newborns in an effort to determine my fate. She claimed that I was destined to learn under her and become a healer for the village (personally, I think she just wanted an assistant), and so, when I reached my twelfth year, my parents sent me to live with Gothi so I could learn her craft.

Now, during the dragon's nightly raids, I am dragged out of bed and sent to bandage the unlucky Vikings that were too slow to evade a dragon's jaws, claws, or flames.

This night, however, is the night that everything changed, though I and most of the village won't find out till much later.

I woke to Gothi tugging at my arm and distant battle cries from the village below our mountain. The healer pointed at my herb belt and my satchel with her stick and then proceeded to shake her stick threateningly at me. Her affectionate way of telling me to get a move on.

I had felt the sharp sting of that stick enough times to know that if i didn't get moving soon then I would suffer her wrath once more.

With a grumble and a few curses, I grabbed my herb belt, which was a gift from a friend so my herbs wouldn't get crushed in my satchel, cinched it tight around my hips, threw my satchel over my shoulder and scrambled out of Gothi's hut.

Once I reached the village, my eyes stung from the smoke from multiple burning buildings as I made my way to the epicenter of the commotion.

Dragons and Vikings clashed in a terrifying display with claws and axes gleaming in the fires.

Once worked up the nerve, I immediately ran towards a downed Viking who greeted me with colorful curses and a rather intricate story about what he planned to do with the dragon that apparently landed on him as I bandaged his head.

As soon as I finished the man leapt up and sprinted off to join the fray and I was left to find the next unfortunate idiot. Something that didn't take long to find.

I dodged a Deadly Nadders spikes and barely ducked below a blow from a Gronkle's tail as I made my way towards the blacksmith's shop just in time to see a projectile strike an unfortunate man that was standing by the window.

_Must be another one of Hiccup's inventions_, I thought as I knelt to make sure the Viking didn't have a concussion.

Through the chaos around me, I could hear an argument between Gobber the blacksmith and his apprentice, Hiccup Haddock, the chief's son.

I glanced up to see Gobber dump a large sword in the scrawny boy's arms as he pointed to the large whetstone near the furnace, "Sword. Sharpen. Now."

I felt a bit of sympathy for him as he was a bit accident prone and wasn't even allowed to help the other kids our age put out the fires for fear he would either get hurt or somehow make things worse. And believe me it was a valid fear.

I shook myself from my thoughts and scolded myself for allowing myself to be distracted as I stood up from where I had been kneeling and turned towards where most of the fighting seemed to be. I straightened my shoulders and took a deep breath as I took a step forwards...only to be run over by a screaming Gobber with an axe on his prosthetic hand.

"Oops, sorry, lass."

He grabbed me back the back of my tunic and effortlessly placed me back on my feet before running off to join the fight.

Seconds later came a high pitched screech and a catapult just ahead of me exploded, sending splinters everywhere. Only one dragon was silent enough and quick enough for an attack like that.

"Night Fury!"

I groaned as I peeled myself off the ground where the blast had thrown me, already feeling the bruises forming as I got to my feet.

I sent a quick thank you to Thor once I made sure I wasn't struck by one of the splinters before running towards the next cussing Viking, not noticing Hiccup as he ran off into the fire and darkness with his latest invention.

_Well, if you're reading this then you suffered through the end of the first chapter. I commend you. As I stated before, feel free to leave constructive criticism. This story will be in a near constant state of editing as I try to improve my writing. Thanks so much for reading and I will hopefully have the next chapter posted soon. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Y'all, I'm honestly touched that so many people seem interested in my story! It gives me inspiration to write more, thank you! I forgot to mention in the first chapter's author's note that I honestly have no current plans for ships. I'm just letting the story take its own path, but if you have any suggestions I would absolutely love to hear them! Anyways, on to the story!_

**By the Gods**

"Hey, Ingrid, how about you do something useful and help us put out these fires, huh?"

It took every ounce of self control I had not to roll my eyes at Snotlout's comment as I finished wrapping a woman's burnt arm. Once finished, I turned to the teen to give a snarky remark, only for a loud, high-pitched scream to interrupt me

I looked up in time to see my friend, Hiccup, being chased by a Monstrous Nightmare.

"Oh, gods," I mumbled under my breath

If anyone on this island was cursed with the worst luck it would be Hiccup. Of course, the one Monstrous Nightmare that showed up would be the one dragon to notice the smallest Viking.

I grabbed my satchel and ran towards my friend and the enraged dragon. A horrible idea really, since I am absolutely useless with just about any weapon.

My heart nearly stopped when Hiccup narrowly escaped the Nightmare's flames by taking cover behind a post. Just then a man wrapped in a fur cloak ran by me and threw himself at the beast.

Chief Stoick the Vast squared off against the Nightmare as I finally reached Hiccup's side and immediately began to fuss over him, checking for any injuries.

"Gods, Hiccup, do you have a death wish?"

Hiccup slapped my hands away with an irritated sigh and a curt, "I'm fine."

Someone cleared their throat and we turned towards the noise only to see the chief frowning at us with the Monstrous Nightmare flying away behind him.

Honestly, I would rather fight the Nightmare than be in the path of the furious chief. Once I saw the chief's expression I stood and gave my friend a pat on the shoulder.

"Good luck, Hiccup!"

I waved with a grin as I ran back to Gothi's hut, praying to every god I could think of (from Thor to Frey) that the hag allows me sleep for just a few more hours.

Unfortunately my prayers were ignored, because as soon as I walked into the hut Gothi was waiting for me with a long list of chores. I'm sure the hag was trying to hide a smug smile on her face.

I snatched the list with a sigh and shuffled out of the hut.

That evening, I gleefully crossed out the last item on the list as I carefully stowed the last of the herbs in my satchel.

"Ingrid?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the voice broke the quiet of the woods. I spun around and glared at my best friend.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Hiccup?" I glanced down and noticed his notebook in his hands," What are you doing out here?"

Hiccup seemed to notice my attention on his notebook and he quickly stashed it in his vest, "Nothing."

I grinned and nudged his ribs with my elbow, "Looking for the Nightfury you shot down last night?" I chuckled as my friend rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha, very funny."

I noticed Hiccup seemed a little more jittery than usual, but I left it alone, knowing he would change the subject if I pressed the issue. Instead, I linked my arm with my friend's, causing him to stumble a bit.

"Come on, Hiccup, how about you escort me back to the village before the next dragon attack!"

I laughed as I pulled a grumbling Hiccup with me as we made our way back to Berk.

**Author's note: **_I know this one is a bit short, but I was struggling with this one. I do plan to keep this one going and I have a general idea about where I want this to go, but I would love to hear from you lovely folks! _


	3. Chapter 3

_I just realized that I forgot to include the disclaimer in the previous chapters, so here it is. I do not own How to Train Your Dragons. I don't own the movies, shows, games, books, or anything of that nature, pls don't sue. Now that that's over with, on with the story!_

**_ Learning on the__ Job_**

After Hiccup and I went our separate ways near his home, I made my way back to the hut. I entered the hut and immediately began to sort the herbs I had gathered, only for Gothi to shoo me away and point to my bed.

"Are you sure you don't need any more help, Gothi?"

The old healer shook her head and pointed to a note I had written myself. I had to stifle a groan when I read it.

I had volunteered to be the healer on hand for the next dragon slaying classes. Days full of watching Snotlout, the twins, Fishlegs, and Astrid attempting to slay some of the most fearsome beasts. I just knew I was going to be busy for the duration of the class (though to be fair, I was pretty sure Astrid would do the best out of all of them).

I sighed and hugged the old healer before turning to collapse in bed.

The next morning Gothi woke me for breakfast, and after I packed my satchel with as many bandages and salves as I could safely jam in there. I grabbed my belt of herbs and ran out the door.

I jogged towards the pit the older vikings used to teach the next generation the finer points of dragon slaying. I managed to catch up to the group teens and Gobber, who had apparently been left behind as most of the able bodied vikings had left to find the dragon nest (it's amazing what I can sleep through: i.e. an entire village packing for a murder cruise).

The older viking threw open the gate and grinned, like this is the best part of his day.

"Welcome to dragon training!"

This statement was met with awed gasps as our group made its way into the arena and a few lovely phrases such as:

"I'm hoping for some serious burns!"

"I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back!"

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it."

The feeling that my morning was about to get infinitely busy only grew as they spoke. I shifted the strap of my satchel anxiously. I may not like my fellow teens, but that doesn't mean I want to see them get hurt.

My train of thought was interrupted when a dry, sarcastic voice spoke up behind me.

"Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain, love it."

My surprised, "Hiccup?" was instantly drowned out by Tuffnut complaining about my friend's presence in the arena. Any other time I would have struck the idiot upside the head, but currently my concern for my aforementioned friend's well-being was drowning out all other thoughts.

I was shaken out of my worry when Gobber's large hand landed on my shoulder heavily. The large viking had on hand on my shoulder, keeping me a bit behind him, and the other on the lever of one of the cages.

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait, aren't you going to teach us first?"

With the most devious smile I had ever seen, Gobber began to pull the lever.

"I believe in learning on the job!"

And with those words and a manic grin, he pushed down fully on the lever. A large, furious Gronkle exploded from the cage and immediately set its sights on the scrambling teens.

_Author's note: Sorry for taking so long with this one. I'm keeping this short, 'cause I've been sick for a little while. But here you go! Enjoy, and remember I always love seeing your reviews!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Behold, the next chapter, can I get a "Wahoo?" I still don't own How to Train Your Dragon._

_**Dragon Training**_

The next few moments were filled with the teens dodging fire blasts as they tried to reach the shields. It didn't take long for four out of the six vikings teens to be "out", leaving only Astrid and Hiccup left.

"So, I guess it's just you and me, huh?"

I nearly slapped my hand to my face at Hiccup's awkward attempt at conversation. This was definitely not the time for him to try to flirt with his crush.

"Nope, just you!"

And with that, Astrid somersaulted out of the way of the fifth blast from the Gronkle which ended up striking Hiccup's shield and knocking it from his hand.

Instead of turning towards Astrid, the Gronkle focused on Hiccup as he ran after his wayward shield.

"Hiccup!"

I jumped into action at Gobber's shout as we both ran after the boy and the furious dragon, though the large viking easily left me in the dust as he grabbed the Gronkle by the jaw with his hook just as the dragon let out it's last fireball.

My heart nearly stopped as I stared at the smoldering spot just above Hiccup's head. My legs felt like jelly and I fell next to my friend. I chuckled nervously, "Gods, Hiccup, I'm not going to survive these classes."

Hiccup awkwardly pat my shoulder, still seeming to be in a bit of shock, before he got to his feet.

"Remember, a dragon will always, _always_ go for the kill."

And with those lovely parting words, Gobber declared the class to be over. I gathered my satchel and got to my feet as Gobber turned to me again.

"Ingrid, go ahead and make sure the others will survive, eh?"

I felt awful when I realized that I had completely forgotten about the other students who may need my help. Thankfully the worst injuries were minor burns that only took a bit of salve to mend.

Fishlegs was the easiest to tend to, he kept still as I placed the salve over his burns; he happily told me of dragons and their different strengths and weaknesses as I worked, making me smile as I wondered how one person could remember so much.

The Twins on the other hand were more difficult. I had to slap their hands away from the salve a few times as they seemed determined to try to eat it.

Snotlout wouldn't keep still as he tried to regale Astrid and I with tales of his exploits and how he planned to defeat every dragon on his own with his trusty battle axe. He only stilled when I threatened to have Astrid knock him over the head, a threat which Astrid seemed only too happy to back up considering her near manic grin and how she tightened her grip on her axe.

Astrid only had a pulled muscle from some mistimed somersault-dive that she continuously beat herself up for as I placed a salve over it to ease the pain and wrapped it tightly. Once I finished I sat back and smiled at her, "Take it easy with the somersaults for today, alright?"

Once I packed my satchel I stood and brushed off my tunic, "Right. I'll See you all tomorrow."

Before I could leave, Gobber placed his large hand on my shoulder.

"Not so fast, lass. You can help me put the shields away."

I groaned in irritation that I hadn't been fast enough to escape. I joined the other teens in cleaning up the arena when I noticed that Hiccup seems to have snuck out successfully. I couldn't help but wonder where he disappeared to, but had to shake that trail of thought from my mind once the twins started hitting each other with their shields.

Later that evening Gobber and us teens were gathered in the great hall, with the notable exception of Hiccup, discussing where each student went wrong in the ring.

I looked up during Astrid's description of her failed somersault-dive which had then apparently threw off her reverse tumble when I noticed Hiccup entering the Great Hall, completely drenched from the rain outside.

The other teens spread out at their table, leaving no space for my friend. I rolled my eyes and stood with my mug and plate and sat down opposite of Hiccup as Gobber began to list Hiccup's mistakes.

I finished off my meal as Gobber tossed a large book on the table

"The dragon manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of."

I glanced at the familiar book as Fishlegs started to gleefully explain about a few of the dragons mentioned in the book. I remember Gothi had me read the book when I first began to learn under her so I could identify the different dragon attacks and treat them. It was an interesting book, but I was too exhausted from the day to stay and read.

I stood and gave Hiccup a hug as I said my farewells to the others for the night. As I was leaving the hall I turned to my friend and pointed to the book.

"Hey, Hiccup, don't stay up too late reading that."

With my warning delivered, I grabbed my shawl from my satchel and headed out into the storm to make my way back home.

_Alright, I'm trying to make my stories longer so be patient with me, friends. I'm proud that I can get this one out so quick, hope you all enjoy!_


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